Justice News

District Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges After Search Turns Up A Semiautomatic Gun And PCP-Defendant Arrested After A Struggle With Police-

WASHINGTON - Antowaun Lynch, 29, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to federal drug and weapons offenses stemming from a search last fall in which he was caught by police with a gun and phencyclidine (PCP), U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

Lynch pled guilty on March 7, 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to unlawful possession with intent to distribute phencyclidine and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime. The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer scheduled sentencing for May 16, 2013. Lynch faces up to 20 years in prison. Judge Collyer ordered that he be held without bond pending his sentencing.

According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2012, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were called to the 600 block of Edgewood Street NE to investigate several robberies. Lynch was part of a group of people that the officers encountered. When the officers approached him, Lynch appeared nervous and asked, “Why are you doing this?” Lynch continued to turn his body to the right toward the police car and away from the officers. He put his right hand on his waistband at his side. An officer then put his hand on Lynch’s waistband and noticed a weapon was concealed in the area.

When Lynch attempted to grab the weapon and remove it from his waistband, the officers grabbed onto the gun. Lynch kicked and resisted the officers who were trying to remove the gun and arrest him. After this struggle, the officers were able to retrieve the weapon, a semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds of 9mm ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber. After his arrest, officers also found a clear glass vial with a black top containing a yellow liquid of approximately one ounce of fluid PCP in Lynch’s pants pocket.

Lynch has a 2005 felony conviction in Virginia.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the actions of the MPD officers who participated in this arrest and the removal of the handgun and drugs. He also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emory V. Cole and Brittan Heller, who investigated and prosecuted the case.